CWE-488 Base Draft

Exposure of Data Element to Wrong Session

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly isolate data between different user sessions, allowing information from one user's session to leak into another's.

Definition

What is CWE-488?

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly isolate data between different user sessions, allowing information from one user's session to leak into another's.
This flaw typically happens when application components, like singleton objects or pooled resources, are incorrectly used to store user-specific data. For instance, in Java Servlets, a single instance often handles requests for all users simultaneously. If a developer stores user data in the Servlet's member fields instead of the proper request or session scope, one user's data can become visible to another user, creating a race condition. To prevent this, always store user state in the appropriate session context (like `HttpSession`) or within local method variables, never in shared object fields. Ensure your design clearly separates per-request data from shared application data, and understand the threading model of your framework's components.
Auswirkungen in der Praxis

Real-world CVEs caused by CWE-488

Bisher sind in MITREs Katalog keine öffentlichen CVE-Referenzen mit dieser CWE verknüpft.

Wie Angreifer es ausnutzen

Angreiferpfad Schritt für Schritt

  1. 1

    Identifiziere einen Codepfad, der nicht vertrauenswürdige Eingaben ohne Validierung verarbeitet.

  2. 2

    Erzeuge eine Payload, die das unsichere Verhalten auslöst — Injection, Traversal, Overflow oder Logik-Missbrauch.

  3. 3

    Liefere die Payload über einen normalen Request aus und beobachte die Reaktion der Anwendung.

  4. 4

    Iteriere, bis die Antwort Daten preisgibt, Angreifer-Code ausführt oder Berechtigungen eskaliert.

Verwundbares Codebeispiel

Vulnerable Java

The following Servlet stores the value of a request parameter in a member field and then later echoes the parameter value to the response output stream.

Verwundbar Java 
public class GuestBook extends HttpServlet {
  		String name;
  		protected void doPost (HttpServletRequest req, HttpServletResponse res) {
  			name = req.getParameter("name");
  			...
  			out.println(name + ", thanks for visiting!");
  		}
  }
Sicheres Codebeispiel

Secure pseudo

Sicher pseudo 
// Validate, sanitize, or use a safe API before reaching the sink.
function handleRequest(input) {
  const safe = validateAndEscape(input);
  return executeWithGuards(safe);
}
What changed: the unsafe sink is replaced (or the input is validated/escaped) so the same payload no longer triggers the weakness.
Präventions-Checkliste

How to prevent CWE-488

  • Architecture and Design Protect the application's sessions from information leakage. Make sure that a session's data is not used or visible by other sessions.
  • Testing Use a static analysis tool to scan the code for information leakage vulnerabilities (e.g. Singleton Member Field).
  • Architecture and Design In a multithreading environment, storing user data in Servlet member fields introduces a data access race condition. Do not use member fields to store information in the Servlet.
Erkennungssignale

How to detect CWE-488

Automated Static Analysis High

Automated static analysis, commonly referred to as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), can find some instances of this weakness by analyzing source code (or binary/compiled code) without having to execute it. Typically, this is done by building a model of data flow and control flow, then searching for potentially-vulnerable patterns that connect "sources" (origins of input) with "sinks" (destinations where the data interacts with external components, a lower layer such as the OS, etc.)

Plexicus Auto-Fix

Plexicus erkennt CWE-488 automatisch und öffnet in unter 60 Sekunden einen Fix-PR.

Codex Remedium scannt jeden Commit, identifiziert genau diese Schwachstelle und liefert einen reviewer-ready Pull Request mit dem Patch. Keine Tickets. Keine Hand-offs.

Demo anfordern Plexicus kostenlos testen
Häufig gestellte Fragen

Frequently asked questions

Was ist CWE-488?

This vulnerability occurs when an application fails to properly isolate data between different user sessions, allowing information from one user's session to leak into another's.

Wie gravierend ist CWE-488?

MITRE hat für diese Schwachstelle keine Exploit-Wahrscheinlichkeit veröffentlicht. Behandle sie als mittlere Auswirkung, bis dein Threat Model anderes belegt.

Welche Sprachen oder Plattformen sind von CWE-488 betroffen?

MITRE hat für diese CWE keine betroffenen Plattformen spezifiziert — sie kann in den meisten Anwendungs-Stacks auftreten.

Wie kann ich CWE-488 verhindern?

Protect the application's sessions from information leakage. Make sure that a session's data is not used or visible by other sessions. Use a static analysis tool to scan the code for information leakage vulnerabilities (e.g. Singleton Member Field).

Wie erkennt und behebt Plexicus CWE-488?

Die SAST-Engine von Plexicus erkennt die Datenfluss-Signatur von CWE-488 bei jedem Commit. Bei einem Treffer öffnet unser Codex-Remedium-Agent einen Fix-PR mit korrigiertem Code, Tests und einer einzeiligen Zusammenfassung für den Reviewer.

Wo erfahre ich mehr über CWE-488?

MITRE veröffentlicht die kanonische Definition unter https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/488.html. Für ergänzende Hinweise kannst du auch die OWASP- und NIST-Dokumentation heranziehen.

Verwandte Schwachstellen

Weaknesses related to CWE-488

CWE-668 Parent

Exposure of Resource to Wrong Sphere

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CWE-1189 Sibling

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CWE-1282 Sibling

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CWE-1327 Sibling

Binding to an Unrestricted IP Address

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CWE-1331 Sibling

Improper Isolation of Shared Resources in Network On Chip (NoC)

This vulnerability occurs when a Network on Chip (NoC) fails to properly separate its internal, shared resources—like buffers, switches,…

CWE-134 Sibling

Use of Externally-Controlled Format String

This vulnerability occurs when a program uses a format string from an untrusted, external source (like user input, a network packet, or a…

CWE-200 Sibling

Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

This weakness occurs when an application unintentionally reveals sensitive data to someone who shouldn't have access to it.

CWE-374 Sibling

Passing Mutable Objects to an Untrusted Method

This vulnerability occurs when a function receives a direct reference to mutable data, such as an object or array, instead of a safe copy…

CWE-375 Sibling

Returning a Mutable Object to an Untrusted Caller

This vulnerability occurs when a method directly returns a reference to its internal mutable data, allowing untrusted calling code to…

Ressourcen

Further reading

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